International field assembles at Dalhousie this week

~ The Rolex Girls Junior Championship will display some of the world's top youth golfers

The American Junior Golf Association returns to Dalhousie Golf Club this week after a three-year absence and with a tournament that transcends the who's who in youth golf.

For those intrigued by the field of 72 players in the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, it's just as much about where they've come from and where they are headed.

Local golf enthusiasts will get a unique glimpse into the future of women's golf when an international field assembles for the five-day, invitation-only event.

Golfers ages 12 to 18 from China, Japan, Ecuador, Venezuela, Thailand, Argentina, Mexico, South Korea, Canada and Puerto Rico will be in the elite field that is a future training ground for the LPGA Tour.

The remainder of the field will be from around the U.S, with heavy representation from Florida, California and Texas.

The event is one of three annual Rolex tournaments on a busy AJGA schedule. It begins today with a pro-am and practice rounds and will be followed by four days of stroke play.

The field is so diverse and widespread that Amanda Kim of O'Fallon, Mo., will be considered the local -- she's the lone Missouri golfer in the field. She'll be outnumbered 2:1 by golfers (Allisen Corpuz and Alexandra White) from Honolulu.

Players such as Shawn Rennegarbe of Addieville, Ill., Sophie Schubert of Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Alexandra Harkins, of Crystal Lake, Ill., will be, relatively speaking, from around the area.

The tournament also is a bargain for the public, which is invited to follow the action at the private facility. There is no admission charge for the competition that begins Tuesday and concludes Friday. Play begins at 7 a.m. each day.

"I've got my junior golf program and I just encouraged the parents to try to get the kids out and see [it]," Dalhousie director of golf Jack Connell said.

The AJGA last visited Dalhousie in 2009 when the club hosted the Rolex Tournament of Champions, a similar invitation-only event that capped a three-year contract with the organization.

Two of the three events at Dalhousie were selected the AJGA's tournament of the year, and a third earned the organization's volunteer award. Tournament director Julie Greenfield said she is anticipating 350 volunteers this week.

"It's an incredible honor to come back to this golf course each year," Greenfield said. "It's a fantastic venue, and the community support is outstanding. There's not many events that we go to that we are able to honor this many volunteers. It's a special and unique experience for all the players, and also for our staff when we come on site, welcoming us with open arms.

"We have 11 players and seven staff members in private housing, so you can imagine how many folks here have opened their doors."

The previous AJGA tournaments at Dalhousie have provided a sneak preview of some current professionals.

The 2009 Rolex Tournament of Champions winner Victoria Tanco of Årgentina is now on the LPGA Tour, and then-14-year-old phenom Alexis Thompson, who placed 19 shots behind Tanco in 12th place, has since won on the LPGA Tour. Thompson became the youngest winner in LPGA Tour history (16 years, 7 months, 8 days) when she won the Navistar LPGA Classic two years after appearing at Dalhousie. Jennifer Johnson also was in the 2009 field and won the Mobile Bay LPGA Classic, while LPGA Tour golfer Jenny Shin also was in that 2009 field.

Former Rolex Girls Junior Championship tournament winners include LPGA Tour stars Morgan Pressel (2005), Paula Creamer (2003), In-Bee Park (2002) and Brittany Lange (2001). Park currently sits atop the LPGA Tour 2013 money earnings. Two-time defending Rolex Girls Junior Championship champion Ariya Jutanugam (2011, 2012) of Thailand has turned pro and would have won the Honda LPGA Thailand earlier this year if not for a final-hole collapse. Jutanugam won last year's Rolex Girls Junior Championship by 18 shots over her runner-up sister, Moriya, who also turned professional.

This year's field includes five of the top 10 players in the current AJGA Polo rankings, including top-ranked Alison Lee of Valencia, Calif. The recent high school graduate will play college golf next year at UCLA. Karen Chung of Livingston, N.J., is ranked third and will play next year at USC. Other top-10 golfers are Bethany Wu (No. 7, Diamond Bar, Calif.), a junior in high school; Casey Danielson (No. 8, Osceola, Wis.), who will play at Stanford next year; and Yu Liu (No. 9, Beijing), who will play at Duke.

Greenfield said 40 of the players in the field have committed to Division I colleges.

And there are other younger players in the field with futures as bright, if not brighter.

"I do know the best 14-year-old player in the world is here," Connell said, referring to Andrea Lee of Hermosa Beach, Calif. "It's a really strong field."